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Onondaga Nations Raises Money for Local Student Scholarships

Hannah Warren
/
WAER News

 

Native craft-makers gathered at the Onondaga Nation Arena over the weekend to sell their work and raise money for the Onondaga Nation Education Group.  The effort raises funds to support Native Students attending college in the Syracuse area, and it attracted vendors from across New York State for the event.

  Organizer Freida Jacques says that buyers at the fair could rest assured that their purchases are “authentic” and that the proceeds directly benefit the artists.

Credit Hannah Warren / WAER News
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WAER News
Vendor Bill Loran's offerings.

“People do their beading at home or they’ll sew or whatever.  Most of it’s hand made stuff.  We don’t allow the made from China items.  So we try to have our own artistry and our own artwork.”

The event hosted musical acts, and it also provided a selection of Native foods. But perhaps most importantly, the fair served as an opportunity for Native craft-makers to get together and share parts of their culture with attendees.Vendor Bill Loran traveled from close to the Canadian border for the fair. He says that while his sales at the arena were good, events like this are more than just places to turn profits.

"It isn’t just selling.  It’s also showing and letting people know we’re still here as Native People.  That this is our art, or I like to think that it’s art.  We do this to meet friends, old friends and meet new friends.”

Credit Hannah Warren / WAER News
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WAER News
Vendor Bill Loran travelled from the Canadian Border to attend.

 

  

   

The Onondaga Nation’s next event will be their bi-annual, “From the Earth Arts and Crafts Festival,” which takes place December 14th.

John Smith has been waking up WAER listeners for a long time as our Local Co-Host of Morning Edition with timely news and information, working alongside student Sportscasters from the Newhouse School.
Hannah vividly remembers pulling up in the driveway with her mom as a child and sitting in the car as it idled with the radio on, listening to Ira Glass finish his thought on This American Life. When he reached a transition, it was a wild race out of the car and into the house to flip on the story again and keep listening. Hannah’s love of radio reporting has stuck with her ever since.